Facebook: Companies to be able to use Facebook entries for advertising
Facebook continues to explore the boundaries between privacy and commerce. For the first time, companies will be able to use users' Facebook entries for their advertising - but with restrictions.
The online network introduced its "Sponsored Stories" service on Tuesday, which allows advertisers to highlight users' Facebook entries. Entries such as "Like" or check-in registrations at a branch can then be used as highly visible advertisements in a user's Facebook profile, Facebook explained in a video, according to SDA. The rule is that only the user's Facebook friends see the ad, i.e. those who have received the information anyway. However, such entries are easily lost in the flood of Facebook messages, hence the new offer.
At the beginning of the month, Facebook caused an uproar when the network wanted to make it easier for website operators to access members' addresses and phone numbers. After criticism from users and data protectionists, the U.S. company put the plan on hold for the time being and announced improvements. Critics had feared that careless users might unknowingly agree to their data being passed on.
